This application pertains to home and business sprinkler system maintenance and, more particularly, to the tool to insert replacement sprinkler risers into underground connectors.
In California, Texas, Arizona and many other states, homeowners rely on underground sprinkler systems for the irrigation of their lawns and flowerbeds. Such systems utilize a series of interconnected polyvinyl chloride pipes, which are joined by various connectors having plastic risers generally threadedly engaged to tee connectors. In addition, at the end of a pipe run, an elbow having a threaded female connection for the receipt of a riser may also be employed. Such systems are well known in the art and are deemed to be conventional today. Be Sprinkler systems may be controlled either electronically, or manually with respect to the flow of water through the pipes at a particular point in time during the course of a day or week. The nature of the control of the system has no bearing on the invention at hand.
The connector members, such as tees and elbows are generally buried anywhere from 3 to 6 inches below ground level. The riser then is threadedly engaged to the tee or elbow and a sprinkler head is attached to the riser. On many an occasion, a riser can break off, due to it being hit by a lawnmower, a bicycle wheel, or an adult walking or a child playing. Risers are generally made of either rigid or soft plastic such as polyvinyl chloride. They cost in the range of 0.29 cents to $1.00 for units that vary in length from 2 inches to about 8 to 10 inches. Risers of greater length are also found in the marketplace.
Oftentimes, especially when the earth is hard and packed, mere rotation of the sprinkler riser in a counter-clock direction will enable the homeowner or caretaker to remove the old riser that may have become broken off . Indeed tools are available in the marketplace to achieve this counter rotation capability.
A benefit in the process of removing broken risers that can be gained from this too is that often no digging is required to remove the broken riser.
Problems are often incurred in applying the new riser into a connector that is below ground level without the use of this tool.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a unique tool to simplify both the extraction and replacement of broken sprinkler risers.
It is a secondary object to provide a tool that permits these tasks to be carried out, often with little or no digging.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.